Commercial Aviation Safety Team Safety Enhancements, 5500-5502 [05-1915]

Download as PDF 5500 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 21 / Wednesday, February 2, 2005 / Notices Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who may be reached on 202– 395–7860. You may submit comments by any of the following methods: • E-mail: ahunt@omb.eop.gov. You must include the DS form number (if applicable), information collection title, and OMB control number in the subject line of your message. • Hand Delivery or Courier: OIRA, Department of State Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503 • Fax: 202–395–6974 You may obtain copies of the proposed information collection and supporting documents from Patricia Culbreth, A/ SDBU, SA–6, Rm. L–500, Washington DC, 20522, who may be reached on 703– 875–6881. E-mail, culbrethpb@state.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department to: • Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary to properly perform our functions. • Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used. • Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected. • Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of technology. Abstract of proposed collection: This information collection facilitates ´ ´ implementation of a mentor-protege program that encourages business agreements between small and large forprofit companies planning to team ´ ´ together in an official mentor-protege capacity to improve the likelihood of winning DOS contracts. Such a program should assist the State Department OSDBU office in reaching its small business goals. Methodology: Respondents may submit the information by e-mail using DS–4053, or by letter using fax or postal mail. Additional Information: None. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Dated: November 23, 2004. Durie N. White, Operations Director, Bureau of Administration, Department of State. [FR Doc. 05–1929 Filed 2–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–24–P VerDate jul<14>2003 14:19 Feb 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice 4986] Determination and Waiver of Section 592 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005 (Division D, Public Law 108–447), Relating to Compliance With the Algiers Agreements Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 592 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2005 (Division D, Pub. L. 108–447), I hereby determine that it is in the national security interests of the United States to waive the requirements of this section as they pertain to the central Governments of Eritrea and Ethiopia. This determination shall be notified to the Congress and published in the Federal Register. Dated: January 24, 2005. Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State, Department of State. [FR Doc. 05–1928 Filed 2–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–26–P OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Identification of Countries Under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974: Extension of Deadline for Public Comment on Out-of-Cycle Review of the People’s Republic of China Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: This notice extends by two weeks the deadline for the submission of comments in the Out-of-Cycle Review (OCR) of the People’s Republic of China (China) under section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242), commonly referred to as the ‘‘Special 301’’ provision of the Trade Act. DATES: Submissions must be received on or before 5 p.m. on Monday, February 14, 2005. ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Sybia Harrison, Special Assistant to the Section 301 Committee, and sent (i) electronically, to FR0446@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review’’ in the subject line, or (ii) by fax, to (202) 395–9458, with a confirmation copy sent electronically to the e-mail address above. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ronald Meyers, Director of Intellectual PO 00000 Frm 00089 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Property and China, at (202) 395–9549, Angela Davis, Director of China Affairs, at (202) 395–3900, or Stanford McCoy, Assistant General Counsel, at (202) 395– 3581, Office of the United States Trade Representative. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 3, 2004, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the results of the 2004 Special 301 review and stated that an OCR would be conducted in early 2005 to assess China’s actions to implement effectively the commitments it undertook under the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), its WTO commitments, and a 1995 bilateral intellectual property agreement with the United States (including additional commitments made in 1996). On December 14, 2004, USTR requested written comments from the public concerning the acts, policies, and practices relevant for this review under section 182 of the Trade Act (69 FR 74561). The original deadline for submissions was Monday, January 31, 2005. In order to afford members of the public the fullest possible opportunity to respond to this request, USTR is extending the deadline for submissions by two weeks, to Monday, February 14, 2005. For details concerning the information requested and requirements for comments, respondents are asked to refer to the USTR request for written submissions from the public published in the Federal Register on December 14, 2004 (69 FR 74561). James Mendenhall, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Services, Investment, and Intellectual Property. [FR Doc. 05–1883 Filed 2–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3190–W5–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration [Docket No. FAA–2004–19400] Commercial Aviation Safety Team Safety Enhancements Federal Aviation Administration, DOT. ACTION: Notice of order designating information as protected from disclosure. AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is designating information provided to the agency from approved voluntary compliance with safety enhancements recommended by the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) as protected from public E:\FR\FM\02FEN1.SGM 02FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 21 / Wednesday, February 2, 2005 / Notices disclosure in accordance with the provisions of 14 CFR part 193. Under 49 U.S.C. 40123, the FAA is required to protect the information from disclosure to the public, including disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other laws. The designation is intended to encourage sharing of information between the FAA and operators implementing the CAST safety enhancements. DATES: Effective February 2, 2005. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margaret Gilligan, Deputy Associate Administrator, Regulation and Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267–7804. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Availability of This Designation Order You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by: (1) Searching the Department of Transportation’s electronic Docket Management System (DMS) Web page (https://dms.dot.gov/search); (2) Visiting the Office of Rulemakings’ Web page at https://www.faa.gov/avr/ arm/index.cfm; or (3) Accessing the Government Printing Office’s Web page at https:// www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/. You can also get a copy by submitting a request to the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM–1, 800 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202–267–9680. Be sure to identify the docket number of this order. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.) You may review DOT’s complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–19478) or you may visit https:// dms.dot.gov. Background Under 49 U.S.C. 40123, certain voluntarily provided safety information is protected from disclosure in order to encourage persons to provide the information to the FAA. The FAA must first issue an order specifying why the agency finds that the information should be protected in accordance with that section. The FAA’s rules for implementing that section are in 14 CFR part 193. If the Administrator issues an order designating information as protected under section 40123, that VerDate jul<14>2003 14:19 Feb 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 information will not be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other laws except as provided in section 40123, part 193, and the order designating the information as protected. This FAA order to protect CAST information from disclosure is issued under 14 CFR 193.11, which sets out the notice procedure for designating information as protected. A notice of proposed order designating CAST information as protected from disclosure was published in the Federal Register on October 26, 2004 (69 FR 62503). The FAA received three comments in response to the notice. See ‘‘Summary of Comments Received and the FAA’s Responses’’ below. Applicability This order is applicable to any FAA office that receives information covered under this designation from a CAST member. This order is also applicable to any other government agency that receives such information from the FAA. In order for any other government agency to receive CAST information protected from disclosure under this designation from the FAA, an agency must first stipulate, in writing, that it will abide by the provision of 14 CFR part 193 and this order. Description of the Safety Information To Be Protected In December 1997, the National Civil Aviation Review Commission recommended that all elements of the civil aviation community join together to establish an integrated safety agenda that would continue to drive down the fatal accident rate for commercial aviation. To respond to this recommendation, the aviation community created the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST). CAST is a voluntary organization made up of government agencies, air operators, manufacturers and aviation labor organizations dedicated to reducing the commercial aviation accident rate by 80% by 2007. The team’s work has centered on the analysis of past accidents in particular categories. Based on the analysis, CAST identifies safety enhancements, which, if implemented, will reduce the risk of these types of accidents happening in the future. Its focus in the future will be on incident/ precursor data to mitigate risks prior to fatal mishaps. The safety enhancements may call for action by government agencies manufacturers, operators, or aircrew. CAST has identified 47 safety enhancements in its current plan, and future safety enhancements included in PO 00000 Frm 00090 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 5501 later revisions to the CAST plan, which CAST members have agreed to implement. Because implementation is voluntary, and may be different at various operators or manufacturers, CAST members agree that it is important to collect information to evaluate the level of implementation. This information will be invaluable to measuring CAST’s effectiveness in reducing the fatal accident rate and reducing future risk in civil aviation. Summary of the Protected Safety Information A. Who may participate? Air operators, crewmembers and manufacturers who are targeted to implement safety enhancements recommended by CAST. B. What voluntarily provided information will be protected from disclosure under this designation? 1. All information related to whether an operator, crewmember, or manufacturer has implemented a safety enhancement recommended by CAST that is reported to an FAA inspector or other FAA representative. 2. All information related to the level of implementation, the methods used to implement and the results of implementation provided by an operator, crewmember or manufacturer to an FAA inspector or other FAA representation. 3. All information related to whether an operator, crewmember or manufacturer has implemented a safety enhancement recommended by CAST that is reported to the FAA by a CAST member organization. 4. All information related to the level of implementation by an operator, crewmember or manufacturer reported to the FAA by a CAST member organization. 5. Reports prepared by the FAA, any CAST member organization, or any team or workgroup established by or associated with CAST that is based on information related to the implementation of safety enhancements. 6. Any database containing information related to the implementation of safety enhancements and/or the effectiveness of these safety enhancements in eliminating or mitigating the underlying safety hazard. 7. All information related to changing risk, emerging threats, or accident precursors. Incident data (e.g., FOQA and ASAP) used as a diagnostic tool will be included. C. How can persons participate? An operator, crewmember or manufacturer can participate by voluntarily providing data related to implementation of safety enhancements to an FAA inspector, to E:\FR\FM\02FEN1.SGM 02FEN1 5502 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 21 / Wednesday, February 2, 2005 / Notices another FAA representative or to CAST through a CAST member organization. D. What is the duration of this protection? Information related to implementation of safety enhancements recommended by CAST will be protected indefinitely. Summary of Findings The FAA designates information received from operators and manufacturers related to implementation of CAST safety enhancements as protected under 49 U.S.C. 40123 and 14 CFR 193.7 based on the following findings: 1. Summary of why FAA finds that the information will be provided voluntarily—The very essence of CAST is voluntary participation. Those who are members of CAST, who take part in the accident analysis, determine the feasibility of safety enhancements, and agree to implement the enhancements do so voluntarily. The key to CAST success now rests on understanding the level and effectiveness of implementation. Operators, crewmembers and manufacturers who have taken part in the program voluntarily to this point can be expected to provide information voluntarily to support achieving a shared goal of improving safety. 2. Description of the type of information that may be voluntarily provided under the program and why FAA finds that the information is safetyrelated—CAST participants will provide information as to safety enhancements implemented, the method of implementation, the process to evaluate the implementation and any other information, such as best practices related to the implementation of safety enhancements. The FAA finds this information is safety-related because it will aid in measuring whether the safety goal—reducing the commercial fatal accident rates by 80% by 2007—is being achieved. 3. Summary of why the FAA finds that the disclosure of the information would inhibit persons from voluntarily providing that type of information— Because the safety enhancements are not required by regulation, operators, crewmembers and manufacturers have wide discretion when they implement them. Industry is concerned that if disclosed, there is the potential for the information to be used for purposes other than improving aviation safety, which was the primary reason for establishing CAST. Withholding such information from disclosures is consistent with FAA’s safety responsibilities because without information on implementation of the VerDate jul<14>2003 14:19 Feb 01, 2005 Jkt 205001 safety enhancements, the FAA and CAST will not be able to determine the effectiveness of safety enhancements. If the FAA and CAST do not receive the information, the FAA and the public will be deprived of the opportunity to determine whether the safety goal can be reached. 4. Summary of why receiving the information aids in fulfilling the FAA’s safety responsibilities—With this information, the FAA and industry will be able to determine whether the safety enhancements are effective. If the data suggests the goal to reduce the fatal accident rate will not be achieved, additional safety enhancements could be identified and implemented. 5. Summary of why withholding the information from disclosure is consistent with FAA safety responsibilities—Withholding the information from disclosure is consistent with FAA safety responsibilities because, to reach the FAA’s safety goal, the FAA must be able to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of safety enhancements identified through CAST. 6. Summary of when withholding the information from disclosure would not be consistent with FAA safety responsibilities as described in 14 CFR 193.9—The FAA will release information, as set forth in part 193, to explain the need for changes in FAA policies, procedures and regulations. The FAA may release de-identified, summarized information derived from information reported about implementation of the CAST safety enhancements. When necessary to correct a condition that may compromise safety, or to encourage more complete and timely implementation of safety enhancements, the FAA may release information to the members of CAST. The FAA will give information to CAST members who are government agencies only if each agency meets the requirements 14 CFR 193.7(e). The FAA will give information to CAST members that are not government agencies only if each member provides adequate assurance that it will protect the information from further release and it will limit access to those with a need to know to carry out safety responsibilities. 7. Summary of how the FAA will distinguish information protected under part 193 from information the FAA receives from other sources—Operators, crewmembers and manufacturers will provide information related to the implementation of CAST safety enhancements directly to the FAA inspectors or other FAA employees designated to receive such information. PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 In this way, the information protected under this order will be easily identified and distinguished from other information the FAA receives from other sources. Summary of Comments Received and the FAA’s Response A proposed FAA order designating CAST information as protected from disclosure under part 193 was published on October 26, 2004 in the Federal Register (69 FR 62503). The FAA received three comments in response to the proposed order. Comment: One commenter suggested that CAST had completed its work and the order was not necessary. FAA Response: CAST has not completed its work. In fact, the members of CAST have committed to a goal that will maintain a continuous reduction in the fatality risk in the United States and international commercial aviation beyond 2007. The future vision of CAST is: Key aviation stakeholders acting cooperatively to lead the worldwide aviation community to the highest levels of global commercial aviation safety by focusing on the right things. Comment: Two commenters supported the order. One commenter from industry stated, ‘‘Absent clear protection, some carriers may choose not to participate in CAST’’. * * * Such a result would clearly contradict the public interest.’’ The commenter urged the FAA to issue a final order. The other commenter, also from industry, while supporting the order, suggested several minor changes regarding the definition of eligible participants and the nature of the protected information. The FAA has made those editorial changes. Designation Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration hereby designates the above-described information submitted to demonstrate implementation of CAST safety enhancements to be protected under 49 U.S.C. 40123 and 14 CFR part 193. Issued in Washington, DC, on January 26, 2005. Nicholas A. Sabatini, Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety. [FR Doc. 05–1915 Filed 2–1–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P E:\FR\FM\02FEN1.SGM 02FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 2, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5500-5502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-1915]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA-2004-19400]


Commercial Aviation Safety Team Safety Enhancements

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of order designating information as protected from 
disclosure.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is designating 
information provided to the agency from approved voluntary compliance 
with safety enhancements recommended by the Commercial Aviation Safety 
Team (CAST) as protected from public

[[Page 5501]]

disclosure in accordance with the provisions of 14 CFR part 193. Under 
49 U.S.C. 40123, the FAA is required to protect the information from 
disclosure to the public, including disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other laws. The designation is 
intended to encourage sharing of information between the FAA and 
operators implementing the CAST safety enhancements.

DATES: Effective February 2, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margaret Gilligan, Deputy Associate 
Administrator, Regulation and Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, 
800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-
7804.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of This Designation Order

    You can get an electronic copy using the Internet by:
    (1) Searching the Department of Transportation's electronic Docket 
Management System (DMS) Web page (https://dms.dot.gov/search);
    (2) Visiting the Office of Rulemakings' Web page at https://
www.faa.gov/avr/arm/index.cfm; or
    (3) Accessing the Government Printing Office's Web page at https://
www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/.
    You can also get a copy by submitting a request to the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence 
Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202-267-9680. Be sure 
to identify the docket number of this order.
    Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.) You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-19478) or you may visit https://dms.dot.gov.

Background

    Under 49 U.S.C. 40123, certain voluntarily provided safety 
information is protected from disclosure in order to encourage persons 
to provide the information to the FAA. The FAA must first issue an 
order specifying why the agency finds that the information should be 
protected in accordance with that section. The FAA's rules for 
implementing that section are in 14 CFR part 193. If the Administrator 
issues an order designating information as protected under section 
40123, that information will not be disclosed under the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) or other laws except as provided in 
section 40123, part 193, and the order designating the information as 
protected. This FAA order to protect CAST information from disclosure 
is issued under 14 CFR 193.11, which sets out the notice procedure for 
designating information as protected.
    A notice of proposed order designating CAST information as 
protected from disclosure was published in the Federal Register on 
October 26, 2004 (69 FR 62503). The FAA received three comments in 
response to the notice. See ``Summary of Comments Received and the 
FAA's Responses'' below.

Applicability

    This order is applicable to any FAA office that receives 
information covered under this designation from a CAST member. This 
order is also applicable to any other government agency that receives 
such information from the FAA. In order for any other government agency 
to receive CAST information protected from disclosure under this 
designation from the FAA, an agency must first stipulate, in writing, 
that it will abide by the provision of 14 CFR part 193 and this order.

Description of the Safety Information To Be Protected

    In December 1997, the National Civil Aviation Review Commission 
recommended that all elements of the civil aviation community join 
together to establish an integrated safety agenda that would continue 
to drive down the fatal accident rate for commercial aviation. To 
respond to this recommendation, the aviation community created the 
Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST). CAST is a voluntary 
organization made up of government agencies, air operators, 
manufacturers and aviation labor organizations dedicated to reducing 
the commercial aviation accident rate by 80% by 2007. The team's work 
has centered on the analysis of past accidents in particular 
categories. Based on the analysis, CAST identifies safety enhancements, 
which, if implemented, will reduce the risk of these types of accidents 
happening in the future. Its focus in the future will be on incident/
precursor data to mitigate risks prior to fatal mishaps.
    The safety enhancements may call for action by government agencies 
manufacturers, operators, or aircrew.
    CAST has identified 47 safety enhancements in its current plan, and 
future safety enhancements included in later revisions to the CAST 
plan, which CAST members have agreed to implement. Because 
implementation is voluntary, and may be different at various operators 
or manufacturers, CAST members agree that it is important to collect 
information to evaluate the level of implementation. This information 
will be invaluable to measuring CAST's effectiveness in reducing the 
fatal accident rate and reducing future risk in civil aviation.

Summary of the Protected Safety Information

    A. Who may participate? Air operators, crewmembers and 
manufacturers who are targeted to implement safety enhancements 
recommended by CAST.
    B. What voluntarily provided information will be protected from 
disclosure under this designation?
    1. All information related to whether an operator, crewmember, or 
manufacturer has implemented a safety enhancement recommended by CAST 
that is reported to an FAA inspector or other FAA representative.
    2. All information related to the level of implementation, the 
methods used to implement and the results of implementation provided by 
an operator, crewmember or manufacturer to an FAA inspector or other 
FAA representation.
    3. All information related to whether an operator, crewmember or 
manufacturer has implemented a safety enhancement recommended by CAST 
that is reported to the FAA by a CAST member organization.
    4. All information related to the level of implementation by an 
operator, crewmember or manufacturer reported to the FAA by a CAST 
member organization.
    5. Reports prepared by the FAA, any CAST member organization, or 
any team or workgroup established by or associated with CAST that is 
based on information related to the implementation of safety 
enhancements.
    6. Any database containing information related to the 
implementation of safety enhancements and/or the effectiveness of these 
safety enhancements in eliminating or mitigating the underlying safety 
hazard.
    7. All information related to changing risk, emerging threats, or 
accident precursors. Incident data (e.g., FOQA and ASAP) used as a 
diagnostic tool will be included.
    C. How can persons participate? An operator, crewmember or 
manufacturer can participate by voluntarily providing data related to 
implementation of safety enhancements to an FAA inspector, to

[[Page 5502]]

another FAA representative or to CAST through a CAST member 
organization.
    D. What is the duration of this protection? Information related to 
implementation of safety enhancements recommended by CAST will be 
protected indefinitely.

Summary of Findings

    The FAA designates information received from operators and 
manufacturers related to implementation of CAST safety enhancements as 
protected under 49 U.S.C. 40123 and 14 CFR 193.7 based on the following 
findings:
    1. Summary of why FAA finds that the information will be provided 
voluntarily--The very essence of CAST is voluntary participation. Those 
who are members of CAST, who take part in the accident analysis, 
determine the feasibility of safety enhancements, and agree to 
implement the enhancements do so voluntarily. The key to CAST success 
now rests on understanding the level and effectiveness of 
implementation. Operators, crewmembers and manufacturers who have taken 
part in the program voluntarily to this point can be expected to 
provide information voluntarily to support achieving a shared goal of 
improving safety.
    2. Description of the type of information that may be voluntarily 
provided under the program and why FAA finds that the information is 
safety-related--CAST participants will provide information as to safety 
enhancements implemented, the method of implementation, the process to 
evaluate the implementation and any other information, such as best 
practices related to the implementation of safety enhancements. The FAA 
finds this information is safety-related because it will aid in 
measuring whether the safety goal--reducing the commercial fatal 
accident rates by 80% by 2007--is being achieved.
    3. Summary of why the FAA finds that the disclosure of the 
information would inhibit persons from voluntarily providing that type 
of information--Because the safety enhancements are not required by 
regulation, operators, crewmembers and manufacturers have wide 
discretion when they implement them. Industry is concerned that if 
disclosed, there is the potential for the information to be used for 
purposes other than improving aviation safety, which was the primary 
reason for establishing CAST. Withholding such information from 
disclosures is consistent with FAA's safety responsibilities because 
without information on implementation of the safety enhancements, the 
FAA and CAST will not be able to determine the effectiveness of safety 
enhancements. If the FAA and CAST do not receive the information, the 
FAA and the public will be deprived of the opportunity to determine 
whether the safety goal can be reached.
    4. Summary of why receiving the information aids in fulfilling the 
FAA's safety responsibilities--With this information, the FAA and 
industry will be able to determine whether the safety enhancements are 
effective. If the data suggests the goal to reduce the fatal accident 
rate will not be achieved, additional safety enhancements could be 
identified and implemented.
    5. Summary of why withholding the information from disclosure is 
consistent with FAA safety responsibilities--Withholding the 
information from disclosure is consistent with FAA safety 
responsibilities because, to reach the FAA's safety goal, the FAA must 
be able to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of safety 
enhancements identified through CAST.
    6. Summary of when withholding the information from disclosure 
would not be consistent with FAA safety responsibilities as described 
in 14 CFR 193.9--The FAA will release information, as set forth in part 
193, to explain the need for changes in FAA policies, procedures and 
regulations. The FAA may release de-identified, summarized information 
derived from information reported about implementation of the CAST 
safety enhancements. When necessary to correct a condition that may 
compromise safety, or to encourage more complete and timely 
implementation of safety enhancements, the FAA may release information 
to the members of CAST. The FAA will give information to CAST members 
who are government agencies only if each agency meets the requirements 
14 CFR 193.7(e). The FAA will give information to CAST members that are 
not government agencies only if each member provides adequate assurance 
that it will protect the information from further release and it will 
limit access to those with a need to know to carry out safety 
responsibilities.
    7. Summary of how the FAA will distinguish information protected 
under part 193 from information the FAA receives from other sources--
Operators, crewmembers and manufacturers will provide information 
related to the implementation of CAST safety enhancements directly to 
the FAA inspectors or other FAA employees designated to receive such 
information. In this way, the information protected under this order 
will be easily identified and distinguished from other information the 
FAA receives from other sources.

Summary of Comments Received and the FAA's Response

    A proposed FAA order designating CAST information as protected from 
disclosure under part 193 was published on October 26, 2004 in the 
Federal Register (69 FR 62503). The FAA received three comments in 
response to the proposed order.
    Comment: One commenter suggested that CAST had completed its work 
and the order was not necessary.
    FAA Response: CAST has not completed its work. In fact, the members 
of CAST have committed to a goal that will maintain a continuous 
reduction in the fatality risk in the United States and international 
commercial aviation beyond 2007. The future vision of CAST is: Key 
aviation stakeholders acting cooperatively to lead the worldwide 
aviation community to the highest levels of global commercial aviation 
safety by focusing on the right things.
    Comment: Two commenters supported the order. One commenter from 
industry stated, ``Absent clear protection, some carriers may choose 
not to participate in CAST''. * * * Such a result would clearly 
contradict the public interest.'' The commenter urged the FAA to issue 
a final order.
    The other commenter, also from industry, while supporting the 
order, suggested several minor changes regarding the definition of 
eligible participants and the nature of the protected information. The 
FAA has made those editorial changes.

Designation

    Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration hereby designates 
the above-described information submitted to demonstrate implementation 
of CAST safety enhancements to be protected under 49 U.S.C. 40123 and 
14 CFR part 193.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 26, 2005.
Nicholas A. Sabatini,
Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety.
[FR Doc. 05-1915 Filed 2-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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